


Rough Nights

by Iforgotthedip



Category: Shameless - Fandom
Genre: Adult Bedwetting, Boys In Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, Nightmares, PTSD, Support
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-05 10:04:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13385523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iforgotthedip/pseuds/Iforgotthedip
Summary: On Mickey’s difficult nights, Ian is there to comfort him





	1. The Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> Title change and chapter added! I had been looking for a place for “The Accident” for a while and decided it belonged with “The Nightmare” thought it might give the piece a little more depth! While bedwetting is more common in children with PTSD it can happen to adults too, and being a caregiver means taking on whatever hand you’re dealt, here’s my take on how Ian would look after Mickey in these vulnerable moments

It’s the middle of the night, Ian and Mickey are sleeping soundly in bed side by side. Suddenly Mickey whimpers in his sleep, he begins to thrash around, causing Ian to stir beside him. Mickey’s cries become louder and more desperate and before long he wakes himself up in a panic, shooting straight up and yelling “fuck!”

Ian’s fully awake in an instant, sitting up and turning on the light “Nightmare?” He asks, scooting closer to Mickey and wrapping his arms around him. Mickey nods, rubbing his eyes to try and stop the tears that are already falling down his pale cheeks.

“C’mere” Ian says softly. Mickey climbs into his lap, straddling him against the headboard and burying his face in his neck. “My sweet baby” Ian Coos, holding him close against his chest and smoothing his hands up and down Mickey’s back as he rocks him softly, kissing the side of his face. “You’re safe my love, I promise, you’re home and safe. Just breathe for me baby, everything’s alright”

After a moment he asks “you wanna tell me what happened in your dream?” “It was that day Terry caught us” Mickey says, his voice small and hoarse as he chokes himself up with more tears and sobs out “but, he - he killed you and I couldn’t do anything, I just had to watch”

“Oh sweetheart” Ian whispers “ssshh it’s ok, I’m right here” Ian continues to rock him back and forth, letting him calm down in his arms. Mickey shivers against him, trying to match his ragged breathing to the beat of Ian’s steady pulse. He’s too tense and tired to fight being soothed like the broken child that a part of him still is.

“I have the same one all the time Mick” Ian says after a moment. “you do?” Mickey asks, looking up at Ian with his watery baby blues. Ian nods, giving him a sad little smile, pushing the sweaty hair back from his forehead. “How could I not? Only difference is, in my dreams it’s you”

Mickey just stares at Ian for a moment, then leans up to kiss him tenderly on the lips, touching his nose and forehead to his own. After a moment Ian pulls back a little, cupping Mickey’s face in his hands and stroking his cheek with his thumb, wiping his tears “but he didn’t kill us, he’s gone baby and he’s never going to hurt you again, Nobody will, because I’m here to look after you ok? I’m never going to let anyone treat you like that ever again, I promise”

Mickey nods, burrowing his face back into Ian’s neck and closing his eyes in contentment. Ian just keeps cradling him and kissing the tears away until his eyelids droop. “You ready to try and go back to sleep?” He murmurs against Mickey’s hair, patting his bottom gently. Mickey nods so Ian scoots down the bed, keeping Mickey curled up on his chest, he leans over to turn off the light but stops when he sees the look on his boyfriends face, a mixture of shame and fear that breaks his heart to witness

“Can we leave it on, just for tonight?” Mickey asks, his voice barely above a shy whisper. “Of course sweetheart” Ian coos, cupping his face in his hands “we can leave it on whenever you want, and you don’t need to be embarrassed about it either, it’s ok to be afraid of the dark” “I’m not really” Mickey defends “it’s just -“ “I know love” Ian says, kissing his forehead “I know, close your eyes now ok? Daddy’s got you, I’ll stay awake until you fall asleep”

Mickey gives him a teary smile and leans up to press their lips together before laying his head down on Ian’s chest. Ian wraps him up tight in his arms and cards his fingers through his hair, rubbing his back and whispering in his ear until he’s fast asleep. Once he’s out Ian smiles down at him. He looks so innocent in his sleep, Ian can’t help but hold him a little closer and kiss him on the head “I love you Mikhailo” Ian whispers before finally closing his own eyes and going to sleep himself.


	2. The Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An accident makes Mickey reconsider therapy

Ian’s pulled from a dream by a strange sensation against his legs, it’s warm and wet, did he pee himself? Fully awake now he pats his crotch, no, it’s dry, but his legs and butt are soaked, he sits up and pulls back the covers, looking for an explanation and his heart stops at what he sees. Mickey, still fast asleep on his stomach with his face contorted in a frown, is lying in the middle of a dark pool of liquid.

Ian pushes the hair off Mickey’s sweaty forehead gently, knowing his only option now is to wake him up. “Mick” he says softly, stroking his face “Mickey, Honey wake up”. As usual Mickey jolts to life, sitting up, hands up ready to protect himself and eyes searching wildly in the dark. “It’s ok, it’s ok, it’s just me” Ian soothes, stroking his cheek, and Mickey’s eyes fix on him, calming for an instant before he feels the wetness “what the fuck?!” He chokes out as he looks down in horror at the soiled sheets.

“I think you wet the bed sweetheart” Ian says gently, running a hand down the back of his head. Mickey bursts into tears, curling in on himself and sobbing into his hands as they pinch into his eyes “I’m sorry” he wails, pulling away from Ian when he reaches out for him “Don’t touch me, I’m disgusting” Ian has none of it, ignoring the feeble protests he scoops Mickey up, sitting him on his lap wetness and all and rocking him softly in his arms.

“It’s ok baby, accidents happen” he soothes, rubbing his back and kissing his temple, resting his forehead against Mickey’s as he says “there’s no need to be embarrassed love, we’ll get you all cleaned up, ok?” “I’m a fuckin freak” Mickey sobs, still trying to hide his face “ssshh no you’re not” Ian says, prying his hands away from his face and staring lovingly into his teary eyes “The doctor said stuff like this might happen right? We all release stress in our sleep, for you the nightmares bring it on and make it worse, this is one of the natural ways your body tries to get it out. You have nothing to be ashamed of baby, I promise. Just let me hold you”

Mickey gives up the fight then, crying into Ian’s chest and letting him cradle and soothe him, kissing his neck and rubbing his back until the tears finally subside and he’s reduced to sniffling as Ian continues to rock him gently, making a soft shushing sound in his ear. “How about we get you cleaned up now huh tough guy?” Ian asks stroking a hand through his tousled black hair and Mickey nods, climbing out of Ian’s lap and off the bed, wiping his face and turning on the lamp. He watches stoically as Ian strips the soiled sheets from the bed and takes them out to put in the wash. When he comes back with clean ones Mickey is still staring blankly.

Ian eyes him as he puts the new sheets and blankets on, smoothing them out, and then he goes to Mickey’s side, pulling him against his hip as he cups his face and kisses his head. Mickey leans into him, weary eyes closing as he let’s Ian pull his dirty tank top over his head and pull down his soaked boxers, helping him step out of them. He pats his behind lovingly and says, “go get in the shower ok? I’ll be there in a minute”. Mickey goes silently, so unlike his usual cocky self that it makes Ian’s chest hurt, this storm of a disease brings the broken child out of the strongest man he knows and he can do nothing but hold onto him as they ride it out together.

Ian goes back out to the washing machine. Stripping off his own wet clothes and throwing it all in, he starts the wash and heads back to the bathroom where he finds Mickey sitting on the edge of the tub, head in his hands, sobbing silently. Ian goes to him, kneeling in front of him and rubbing his thighs soothingly, “my poor baby” he says softly before enveloping his body in a hug, Mickey leans into him, crying into his shoulder as Ian rubs his back and kisses him above the ear, “I thought it was getting better” he sobs out.

“It is getting better Mick” Ian says, pulling back to wipe his tears away and look him in the eyes “you’re doing fucking amazing dealing with this shit, do you have any idea how proud of you I am?” Mickey shakes his head and Ian smiles “Im so fuckin proud of you babe, you’re taking all of this like a champ, but there’s nothing wrong with asking for help, and not just from me, I really think you should reconsider going to see someone, if we want to find a way to stop stuff like this from happening, I think that’s what we need to do.”

Mickey sighs as they stare at each other, they’ve had this argument many times and Mickey’s been adamant that he doesn’t need therapy, but wetting the bed seems to have shaken him enough to make him change his mind. “Ok I’ll try it” he says, fixing Ian with a look before he gets too excited “but you have to come with me, and if I don’t like it, that shit is fuckin done you hear me?” “of course” Ian says, cupping his face and kissing his lips “now get in the shower, let’s get you cleaned up and back to bed”

Mickey nods, getting in and turning on the tap. Ian steps in behind him, wrapping his arms around him and kissing his shoulder blade. Mickey leans back in his arms, letting Ian hold him close and kiss at his neck as he washes his body gently. When they’re both clean, they get out of the tub and Mickey lets Ian dry him off without complaint, he’s toweling his hair off when Mickey speaks, “I used to do it you know” he says quietly.

“Do what?” Ian asks, genuinely confused as he dries his shoulders and moves his way down. “Wet the bed” Mickey says, “when I was little, I used to do it a lot” “what made you stop then?” Ian asks, kneeling now to dry Mickey’s hips and legs. “Terry” Mickey says, sounding very matter of fact, as he always does in the rare moments he reflects on memories like these.

“He used to see my sheets in the wash and get fuckin pissed, said only babies and faggots wet the bed and he didn’t pay for sheets just to have my fuckin pansy ass piss all over em” Ian’s smiles sadly “sounds like Terry” he says, standing and wrapping the towel around Mickey, he looks into his eyes intently as he says “So you stopped?” “No” Mickey says, looking away “I couldn’t, so the next time he saw them in the wash he beat the shit out of me and pissed all over me, said he was gonna strangle me with my piss stain sheets if I didn’t knock it the fuck off, I guess that’s when I stopped”

Theres hurt in Ian’s eyes as he says “how old were you?” Mickey shrugs “Like 7” Ian pulls him against his chest and buries his face in his clean hair, kissing him there several times before leaning down to kiss his lips and cup his jaw, stroking his face and staring into his eyes. “I’m sorry baby, I love you so much, let’s go lay down so I can hold you” Mickey nods and follows Ian into their room. “You want some clean boxers?” Ian asks, but Mickey shakes his head saying “nah” and getting under the covers on his side of the bed.

“Alright” Ian shrugs, foregoing his own as well and climbing in beside him. He lays out on his side and Mickey rests his head on his outstretched arm, his own arms wrapping around Ian’s middle as Ian wraps his opposite arm over his hip, softly stroking up his back and down onto the backs of his thighs. They stare at each other this way for a while, nothing but comfortable silence between them until Mickey brings his face to Ian’s and kisses him tenderly on the lips. Ian kisses back, hands stopping to rest on his butt and lower back.

He rubs their noses together, kissing him once more before Mickey whispers “thanks for not being mad or grossed out” Ian’s brow furrows as he says “How could I be mad? It’s not like you can control it, and you know I don’t care about shit like that, you could never gross me out, even when you were a dirty little hood rat, I still wanted to bang you”.

Mickey chuckles with his eyes closed muttering “shut up asshole”. Ian swats him playfully and laughs, kissing him a final time before snuggling in close and whispering “Get some sleep now yeah? I got you” Mickey nods, curling up beside him, “I love you, firecrotch” he says. “Love you too Mikhailo” Ian murmurs. They fall asleep together, and this time, there are no nightmares and no wet beds.


End file.
